Quotable

"Over the past six years Taiwan and the Chinese mainland have moved from confrontation to rapprochement, from antagonism to consultation, and this year's Zhang-Wang meetings marked a further advance in cross-Straits cooperation."

Ma Ying-jeou, the Taiwan leader, in a speech on Oct 10, talking of two meetings this year between Zhang Zhijun, head of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, and Wang Yu-chi, Taiwan's mainland affairs chief.

"The title is meaningless. A man can live on just a few dollars. I couldn't be happier than when I was living on a monthly wage of 90 yuan ($14.60; 11.6 euros) 20 years ago."

Jack Ma, chairman of Alibaba Group and China's richest man, after Alibaba launched its IPO on the New York Stock Exchange last month.

(China Daily European Weekly 10/17/2014 page3)